Synthetic amorphous sodium aluminosilicates have commonly been used in paints, coatings, and other applications as extender pigments. These pigments usually function to improve bulk and dry hiding, at reduced TiO2 loadings. As compared to mineral extenders such as calcined clay, these synthetic aluminosilicate pigments have fewer impurities. These aluminosilicate pigments often rely on their high structure to provide better optical performance, and usually, the higher the structure, the better the performance. However, high structure pigments also can have higher absorption capacity, which can be detrimental due to high binder demand and loss of scrub resistance.
It would be beneficial to produce aluminosilicate-based pigments that address these and other needs, for example, to produce improved paints and coatings. Accordingly, it is to these ends that the present invention is directed.